Humble Souls… Part 4.

Written by Thomas Brooks (1608–1680). Edited for thought and sense by Michael Pursley.

The Heart of a humble soul is this…

A good man’s heart, when kindly awakened, may smite him for those actions that at first he judged very prudent and politic. How great a pain, not to be borne, comes from the prick of this small thorn! Little sins have put several to their wits’ ends, when they have been set home upon their consciences. A good man’s heart will smite and strike for small sins as well as for great, for those the world count no sin, as well as for those that they count gross sins.

When David had but cut off the lap of Saul’s garment, his heart smote him as if he had cut off his head. The Hebrew word signifies to smite, wound, or chastise. Ah I his heart struck him, his heart chastised him, his heart wounded him for cutting off Saul’s skirt, though he did it upon noble grounds, that is, to convince Saul of his false jealousies, and to evidence his own innocence and integrity: and so, at another time, his heart smote him for numbering the people, as if he had murdered the people: 2 Sam. xxiv. 10, ‘And David’s heart smote him, after that he had numbered the people; and David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done : and now I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.’

A humble soul knows that little sins, if I may so call any, cost Christ his blood, and that they make way for greater; and that little sins multiplied become great, as a little sum multiplied is great; that they cloud the face of God, wound conscience, grieve the Spirit, rejoice Satan, and make work for repentance.

A humble soul knows that little sins, suppose them so, are very dangerous; a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump; a little staff may kill one; a little poison may poison one; a little leak in a ship sinks it; a little fly in the box of ointment spoils it; a little flaw in a good Cause mars it; so a little sin may at once bar the door of heaven and open the gates of hell; and therefore an humble soul smites and strikes itself for the least as well as the greatest. Though a head of garlic be little, yet it will poison the leopard, though he be great. Though a mouse is but little, yet it will kill an elephant, if he gets up into his trunk. Though the scorpion be little, yet it will sting a lion to death; and so will the least sin, if not pardoned by the death of Christ.

A proud heart counts great sins small, and small sins no sins, and so disarms conscience for a time of its whipping and wounding power; but at death, or in hell, conscience will take up an iron rod, with which it will lash the sinner forever; and then, though it be too late, the sinner shall acknowledge his little sins to be very great, and his great sins to be exceeding grievous and odious.

From The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol. III, “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ”

Meet the author and part of your Christian heritage: Thomas Brooks (1608–1680) was an English non-conformist Puritan preacher and author. Much of what is known about Thomas Brooks has been ascertained from his writings. Born, likely to well-to-do parents, in 1608, Brooks entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1625, where he was preceded by such men as Thomas Hooker, John Cotton, and Thomas Shepard. He was licensed as a preacher of the Gospel by 1640. Before that date, he appears to have spent a number of years at sea, probably as a chaplain with the fleet.

After the conclusion of the First English Civil War, Thomas Brooks became minister at Thomas Apostle’s, London, and was sufficiently renowned to be chosen as preacher before the House of Commons on December 26, 1648. His sermon was afterwards published under the title, ‘God’s Delight in the Progress of the Upright’, the text being Psalm 44:18: ‘Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from Thy way’. Three or four years afterwards, he transferred to St. Margaret’s, Fish-street Hill, London.

As a writer C. H. Spurgeon said of him, ‘Brooks scatters stars with both hands, with an eagle eye of faith as well as the eagle eye of imagination’. In 1662, he fell victim to the notorious Act of Uniformity, but he appears to have remained in his parish and to have preached as opportunity arose. Treatises continued to flow from his pen.